Posted on 12/20/2012 12:34:47 PM PST by Jyotishi
Tibet activists lobbying US members of Congress to to sign congressmen McGovern/Wolf letter to President Obama to make Tibet a top piority.
Dharamshala, December 20: A letter to U.S. President Barack Obama urging him to exercise greater international leadership in improving the human rights situation in Tibet has received a large bi-partisan support from the US Congress.
As of Wednesday, 56 members of Congress have signed the Wolf-McGovern letter “strongly urging” President Obama “to make Tibet one of your top priorities for U.S. advocacy” and nominate a Secretary of State who will “champion” the Tibet issue.
“It is critical that the U.S. take a leading role and engage actively with partner nations on measures that could bring near-term improvements in the human rights situation in Tibet,” the letter first initiated by senior congressmen James P. McGovern and Frank R. Wolf reads.
“We urge you, Mr. President, to take a leading role in support of (UN Human Rights) Commissioner Navi Pillay’s statement and actively engage partner nations on measures that could bring near-term improvements in the human rights situation in Tibet and serve to de-escalate rising tensions brought about by hard-line and destructive Chinese policies and actions.”
Last month, Commissioner Pillay issued a statement urging Chinese authorities to “promptly address the longstanding grievances” of the Tibetan people and to release detainees, allow independent human rights monitors to visit Tibet, and to lift restrictions on media access to the region.
The Congress letter blamed Chinese government policies of having “increased” the level of repression “leading to the self-immolations and protests by Tibetans,” and warned that “continued crackdowns by Beijing threaten to escalate the situation.”
Members of Congress, while welcoming the recent statements by Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Maria Otero and by Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner expressing U.S. concern over the increasing frequency of self-immolations by Tibetans noted that “much more must be done.”
“We have the moral obligation to speak out for the Tibetan people and confront China about these abuses, to convey the aspirations for change that are being expressed so desperately by the Tibetan people directly to those who have the responsibility to heed Tibetans’ demands for change, respect and basic dignity,” the signed letter reads. “We ask that you make this a top priority and lead the way.”
Over the last two weeks, Tibet activists in the U.S. carried out a robust lobbying campaign, calling on their representatives to sign the Wolf-McGovern letter. Last week, over 60 activists led by the Students for a Free Tibet, visited over 425 congressional offices at the Capitol Hill urging representatives to sign-on. Other groups lobbied at their district offices, wrote letters, and called their representatives to sign the Tibet letter to President Obama.
Support over the formation of a Contact Group on Tibet, which would serve as an international mechanism to put coordinated pressure on the Chinese government on Tibet, has grown over the last few months.
And just WHY should I(or any other American) give a flying flip about Tibet?!
Send john kerry over there with the students. He was in Vietnam you know.
There has to be a numerical limit to how many “top priorities” this dipstick can declare.
SnakeDoc
John Kerry? You mean the guy who served in Vietnam?
i thought it was jobs...no, healthcare...no, gun control, no, eating right....no, transparency....
Well... For one thing, we stabbed ‘em in the back when they were fighting the Chicoms. Just cut ‘em off, even though they were doing pretty well. You can thank the Commies that infiltrated the State Department for that.
That said, Tibet is a waste of time. China has pretty much colonized it. I think native Tibetans are probably a minority...
Tibet? Okay. I agree. China has gotten a free pass there.
How about Little Rock, Phoenix, Lincoln, Flint, Detroit, Paso Robles, Tacoma, Cheyenne, Joplin, Charlotte, Portland, Bangor, Burlington..., and thousands of other places in the U. S.? When is he going to make them a priority?
This worthless sack of dog-poo can’t even get motivated to stop supporting things that are destroying his own citizen’s lives.
Until he can show an aptitude to fix our mess, I’d suggest he ignore any more of other people’s messes.
And Mr. President, get people back to work before you start screwing around with perfecting our founding documents.
> And just WHY should I(or any other American) give a flying flip about Tibet?!
Oh no special reason. It’s just something that Obama and his media can divert attention away with 24/7 when another crisis comes along that makes him look bad.
Our “Government” stabbed Serbia in the back after they helped us against Hitler in E. Europe in WW 2. Our “Government” stabbed N. China in the back in 1948-1949. Our “Government” stabbed the Chin-Dits in the back in the CBI Theatre in WW 2. Our “Government” stabbed the S. Vietnam in the back in 1973,1974. and 1975. Come to think about it this WORTHLESS FEDERAL “Government” is pretty good about stabbing people in the back.
The FedMob stabbed the Marsh Arabs in the back after Desert Storm.
Yep and so it goes.
The American people care deeply about people all over the world and expend tremendous amounts of effort and treasure and take personal risks, all from the private sector, to help them. Then our FedMob gov undermines all of that good will with their greed, cowardice and game playing. Of course it is the American people who face the wrath and enmity the FedMob creates and we have to send the best of our youth to stand the wall and protect us. That is very very frustrating.
If Americans wanted greater interntional leadership, as the letter urges, then they should have elected a leader. A little late for that.
Obummer ain’t gonna do jack about Tibet, as there are no muslims there
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